Advice for a career in healthcare management

Hi,

I have a bachelor's degree in Applied Nutrition and Dietetics and an MBA from a AACSB accredited university. I have about four years of work experience in the field of healthcare management. I have worked in corporate (pharmaceutical) and government (health) sectors. I am interested to further my education to sharpen skills specific to healthcare management. Is it a right career choice to go for a second Master's degree in Healthcare Administration (MHA)? or is it advisable to go for a Ph.D program in healthcare management? aranoid:What would be the pluses and minuses of getting a second Master's degree (MHA) after MBA in terms of more employ-ability? :shock:
Any advice would be appreciated. Thank you!oke:

 

I would say that having an AACSB MBA is good enough. What areas within Healthcare Management have you had your experiences in (sales, HR, Finance, etc...)? I would recommend looking at Board Certification through ACHE or a similar Healthcare Management organization depending upon your preferences. There are many certifications offered by various entities and getting board certified in Healthcare Management will help to compliment your MBA. Getting a Ph.D. or other doctorate is not the norm for healthcare managers, at least in my opinion and from what I've seen.

American College of Healthcare Executives
Healthcare Financial Management Association
MGMA - MGMA - Medical Group Management Association www.MGMA.com

Just a few that offer board certification... there are more.

I have looked at A.T. Still University for completing one of their applied doctoral programs...but that would just be for personal gratification. Hope that helps.

 

Any thoughts on the online DBA in Healthcare Management through CalUniversity?

Online Healthcare DBA Degree | Healthcare Management Doctoral Program

 

Personally CalUniversity wouldn't work for me. I would prefer a B&M institution with Regional accreditation. However, with DETC accreditation that program may work for some...just my opinion.

 

I agree. From the educational stand point your beyond fine. If your looking to climb the ladder you need to vary your professional experience. But it also depends on which field in healthcare your trying to climb. My experience is limited to hospitals; but there are many other facets I'm not well versed in like pharmaceutical, medical foundations, ect . . .

What seems to be a popular trend is obtaining a graduate degree in public health, healthcare administration, or an MBA; and then transitioning into a fellowship program. In my experience, that seems to be the golden ticket these days as far as the hospital side of the house is concerned.

 

I would look at the DHSc from Nova instead - Doctor of Health Science Program | NSU

 

Well, I've noted that wanderlust has a grand total of 1 post on this board and that was 6 months ago so there's a good chance that she's not going to read my answer but I post an alternative plan anyway. You see, I don't think that you actually need a doctoral degree in order to become a manager in the healthcare field. Maybe if you want to work at Harvard Medical School or something like that but I'll bet that your typical community hospital or even a hospital in a bigish city doesn't actually have a lot of managers with doctoral degrees. Masters degrees, yes. Doctoral degrees, no. I'd suggest the networking alternative. Take the 20 hours per week of studying and the 3-5 years for completion and instead join a bunch of committees of professional organizations you admire and work on some projects and get to know the people and the system more closely. You'll probably find yourself interviewing for positions with people who know you or at least have heard of you. It might pay off better in the long run and it won't cost you nearly as much money.